1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to improvements in and relating to buckles for connecting respective ends of straps or belts and more particularly to a so-called center-release type buckle which has wide application to automobile safety belts, helmets and the like.
2. Prior Art
There are known numerous center-release type buckles, a typical example of which comprises a plug member, a socket member releasably engageable therewith and a locking member resiliently supported in the socket member and adapted to be depressed to separate the plug member from the socket member. More specifically, as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application No. 51-9381, the locking member is vertically movably supported on a compression spring accommodated in a window formed in the upper surface of the socket member and is guided by a guide plate inserted in place through a slot in the socket member. When assembling the socket member, the compression spring and the locking member are placed from above into the window, followed by inserting the guide plate horizontally through the slot into the socket member while somewhat depressing the locking member against the tension of the compression spring. This two directional assembling process is literally time-consuming and tedious. Such a prior art buckle has a further drawback in that since the locking member is supported at a point on the compression spring, it is prone to tilt and get stuck or caught at the peripheral wall of the window unless caution is exercised so as to apply a pressure uniformly over the entire surface of the locking member when releasing the plug from the socket.